The Pain of Siblinghood
by GalahadsGurl
Summary: Luke felt Leia's pain in Return of the Jedi. Did Leia feel Luke's? R


Anyone whose read the Star Wars books knows that Luke felt his sister's pain, despite how small. And I asked myself, does Leia feel her brother's pain, when his is so much greater than hers? I decided that she did and this is how I think the scene should have played out.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own my bed. All I have are my laptop and my CDs. Don't sue, you won't get anything.

Leia was reclining in the brush as Han and the rest of the strike force laid the charges in the bunker. Wicket, the little Ewok, was sitting next to her, putting a strange green gunk on the blaster wound. Leia just sat back and watched the bunker in front of her, looking for some sign of Han and the team.

Han and the rest of the team ran from the bunker just before it blew. Han dropped down beside her and smiled tiredly. Leia returned the grin for a moment before her face dropped in pain. Han's own grin immediately died at the look on her face. "Leia, what's wrong?"  
Leia couldn't answer, could only search inside her for the source of the pain. As she gave herself a quick once-over, she realized something. It wasn't coming from her. This pain wasn't hers.

Her head tilted back, eyes searching out the Death Star frantically. "Luke," she whispered, seeing the half-finished orb hanging in the sky like some unnatural sun.

Han drew back at the name, his face creasing into a scowl as Leia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Leia allowed her soul to follow the pain to its source. Opening her eyes again, she was surprised to see that she was no longer on Endor; she was on a ship of some kind. An old man was facing her. It was then that she realized that she was on the floor, breathing hard and trying to force the pain away. The man laughed maniacally and then spoke in a hoarse and rasping voice, "Young fool! Only now at the end, do you understand. You're puerile skills are no match for the power of the dark side. Now, young Skywalker, you will pay the price in full. You will die!"

Leia jerked. Her name wasn't Skywalker, that name belonged to Luke. And then she began to understand. She was seeing through her twin brother's eyes. The pain she felt was her brother's pain. And as Luke had done earlier for her, she openly offered her sense of him solace, cradling his pain closely.

The man, who Leia now recognized as the Emperor and her long-fought foe, extended his hands again and electricity shot from his fingers, coursing through their combined body and pain overtook them again. Her screams mingled with Luke's, both bouncing through the air. Luke's body writhed and jerked, trying to get away from the Emperor's lethal power.

Leia felt, more than saw, her brother's body slow down. She felt his spirit wilt. His solid presence in her mind started to fade. Leia reached out consciously and grabbed on to her mind's personification of her brother tightly, forcing him to stay with her. "Luke, no. Stay with me. Come back to me, please." She sobbed, stroking the blond hair from his face.

The Luke in her arms was exhausted. His eyes fluttered and his presence continued to fade until there was nearly nothing left. Before he faded completely, Luke hung for a moment in ambiguous limbo. And then he started to solidify again. "Leia?" he questioned, looking up at her and trying to see her. "Help me, Leia." He begged, repeating the same words he'd begged on Bespin, when he'd hung limply from the weathervane on the bottom of Cloud City.

"Stay strong Luke. You must." She ordered, knowing that the officer in her brother would respond to an order better than the brother in her officer would respond to the entreaties of a sister.

Luke nodded and straightened up, standing tall but tired again. His consciousness left her mind, leaving only strong traces of the power he controlled. Leia opened her eyes and saw Han staring at her. Leia smiled softly, Luke's pain starting to fade slightly. He ached in every muscle of his body, but he was whole. Han smiled back, thinking the smile was for him, and started to wrap her wound. Leia watched the sky intently, the tiny smile bursting forth into radiance as the dreaded Death Star and the evil being inside were blown into tiny pieces.

Leia touched Han's cheek. He leaned over and kissed her; then sat back, seeing her eyes focused on the starry sky. "Hey," he jostled, "I'll bet Luke got off that thing before it blew."

Leia smiled, her brother's strong voice speaking in her head. _"I'm coming Leia. I'll be there soon. I love you."_

Leia threw out her thoughts. Untrained as she was, Luke was her twin. They had a special bond. _"I love you Luke. Come home."_

Leia turned to look at Han, answering his guess with a fond smile. "He did. I can feel it."

"You love him," Han stated, before tacking on an unsure, "don't you?"

"Of course," Leia answered with a slight chuckle. Luke was her brother; she loved him with everything she had. They were the only family the two of them had.

"Well, listen, I understand. When he gets back, I won't stand in your way…."

Leia squinted at him, suddenly aware that they were crossing wires, having different conversations. "What are you talking about?" she asked. And then she figured it out, simply by the things he'd said and the questions he'd asked. "Oh no. No," she laughed, placing a tender hand on the cheek of the man she loved, "it's not like that at all- Luke is my _brother_."

Han was successively stunned, embarrassed and elated. _Well that changes everything_, he thought. He took her into his arms, embraced her, lowered her back down into the ferns….and being extra careful of her wounded arm, he lay down beside her, under the waning glow of the burning Star.

Leia waited anxiously for Luke to appear out of the darkness. She understood his need to be alone, to burn the remains of their father, but she wanted Luke where she could see him. Lando came, and both Han and Chewie greeted him warmly, hugging him and laughing with him. But still Leia was denied the one man she wanted to see.

Finally, a tired and drawn, but smiling, Luke Skywalker emerged from the shadows, into the dancing firelight of the Ewok camp. Leia smiled gratefully, dashing forward to throw her arms around him tightly. "Welcome back." she whispered, kissing his cheek gently.

"Thank you for your strength Leia. I needed it."

"Anytime, little brother. Anytime." She teased, smiling at him happily.

Luke smiled down at her for a moment before Han dragged him away and into a tight embrace. "Good to see you kid." Han laughed, slapping the younger man's shoulder.

"Good to see you too, Han. So, it's finally over."

Leia came and joined the embrace with a fond smile for both her boys. "It's over, and we're still here."

Luke chuckled. "That is a reason to celebrate."

Leia watched as her brother stood apart and seemed to smile into the shadows. Shaking her head at his introverted nature, she came and took his arm, questioning gently, "What's wrong?"

Luke shook his head, his smile the widest she'd seen from him in a while. "Nothing."

Leia smiled and draped her arm around his waist, prompting Luke to do the same. The twins walked back to their friends and the ongoing celebration, grateful for the company that they offered.

The End.


End file.
